Andrzej Kinast
Grant Thornton
By : Jeffrey Sparshott
Like many pioneers in Poland's newly minted world of capitalism, Andrzej Kinast arrived in the country in 1989.
"I was in Poland for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which was asked by the World Bank to find Polish-speaking accountants to work with the new accounting law," he said. "Through my contacts I realized there was a business opportunity in Poland. So I set up an office and the rest is history."
Potworowski & Kinast opened its doors in 1990, later became Potworowski Kinast Grant Thornton, and will soon be simply Grant Thornton.
The project of opening a firm may sound daunting but, according to Kinast, it wasn't.
"At that time it was very simple," he said. "There was so much work and so few skilled people."
There is still plenty of work, though Kinast is concerned with the qualifications of smaller local firms.
"I think the accounting sector is in the process of consolidation but there is a great danger of the profession being brought into disrepute, especially at the lower end," he said. "We are beginning to see signals in the quality of information and audited financial statements prepared by small local firms."
Kinast was born and grew up in the U.K. and goes by the name Andrew as well as Andrzej. He studied at the London School of Economics and started his career in the City of London at a medium-sized accounting firm. But his entry into Poland was made easier by his fluency with the language, a gift from Polish parents who continued to speak their native tongue at home.
Past notes:
1958: Born in London
1979-1982: Studied at the London School of Economics
1990: Officially established
Potworowski & Kinast
Business Acumen:
"You have to have the ability to see the wood for the trees, to see the whole picture and have the ability to put yourself in the client's shoes, rather than assuming a professional arrogance."
